We Made It
We Are Here-GERMANY
Hello dear
friends and family,
We arrived in Kandern, Germany on March 1st! We have been
settling into our new home for 5 days now and feel immense gratitude for the
people who have helped us acclimate to our new environment. My Mom, (Jill),
traveled with us to help with Adelaide as an extra set of hands, and boy, did
we need her! Traveling cross-culturally with a 1-year-old should be an Olympic
sport. And we have all agreed that we won the silver medal! We landed in Basel,
Switzerland utterly exhausted, disoriented, and a bit shell shocked. But a
lovely BFA host family was waiting to receive us at the airport and drove us
home to a hot dinner. The first 48 hours in Kandern were a blur. We barely
remember what occurred. With some good sleep, food, and sunshine the following
days, we have perked up and are charmed by our new home. Of course, the
Bavarian village is quite enchanting with the beautiful buildings, forested
hills, and river running through town.
We do have much to learn in terms of German practices. For example, the trash system here requires 5 bins—each with its own purpose (compostables, glass, paper/cardboard, plastic/aluminum, and mixed trash). We are getting the hang of it! Another example is called “luften” and “kippen.” Both words refer to the opening of windows. Luften is opening windows wide in order to air-out. And kippen is the opening of windows partially from the top. We luft and kipp at least once a day in order to let fresh air into the apartment to increase air quality and prevent mold growth.
Aside from household happenings, we registered with the city of Kandern
to be recognized as residents. We signed paperwork for our visa applications,
started phone plans, set up a bank account, learned about insurance options and
the healthcare system, and we explored town quite a bit.
We also met most of Zach’s maintenance teammates and families. The
people here are friendly and welcoming! Adelaide and I have also been plugged
into the BFA “Mama group chat” and attended a park picnic and playdate in order
to meet people. We had a really fun time! It is amazing to discover that many
of the BFA staff members grew up as missionary kids themselves and felt led to
BFA in order to serve students with the same background.
We stumbled upon Heitzman bakery on a walk about Kandern and enjoyed
lattes and omelets. The employee who attended to us was very kind and attentive
to Adelaide. We hope to go there regularly and practice our German language.
Here is the street view outside of a grocery store called Heiber.
Various views of Kandern. The town is all walkable, and we’ve enjoyed
discovering its charm.
We’ve stumbled upon two playgrounds, and Addy is delighted with the
swings and slides!
The view of the picnic blankets at a nearby park where 10 moms and 15
children met for a picnic and playdate! This was the most encouraging day for
me.
Meaningful time before the move
The weekend before moving we spent an afternoon at Greenwood Community Church for a farewell gathering. Thank you to those who came and encouraged us. It was meaningful!
Adelaide was dedicated at Greenwood Community Church the Sunday before
we moved. Our family was prayed over and sent by a church family that is dear
to us.
This picture was taken before we drove to the Denver airport. We said
goodbye to the cozy condo we enjoyed living in for the past 7 months.
We left the Denver airport on February 28th with 14 checked
bags. All but one tub made it to Basel, but it has already been delivered to
us.
Adelaide's Addition
Addy was clearly distressed and disoriented when we arrived. This little
lady has a lot of stamina and did not sleep much on the planes. But she quickly
began enjoying her surroundings when we ventured outside. She loves to see
other babies and children on our walks and waves at everyone. Within 5 days she
is getting the hang of the time change and sleeping much more peacefully.
One of Addy’s favorite things to do in the apartment is to walk around
holding our hands. She goes through every room over and over again.
Prayer Requests
In the coming weeks we will continue to check off logistical items on
our to-do list. And we will keep exploring, asking questions, and meeting our
community. We feel waves of sadness for the home we left behind and then waves
of encouragement for the new life God is opening up before our eyes.
Would you pray for humility as we navigate the foreign aspects of our
German home?
Would you thank the Lord for our thoughtful and kind host family who
welcomed us?
Would you pray for Zach, Addy, and I in the coming weeks as we
experience home sickness, loneliness, and apprehension in this new place?
With much love and gratitude,
Zachary & Emma
If you would prayerfully consider joining us by supporting the mission please hit this link:
www.OneChallenge.org/partner/110405.